Hi Guys,

I have been recently been made redundant as the company I was working for lost large contracts for DVD authoring work.

As I started working from when I was 19 for a company that only had 3 members of staff I have no qualifications and completely self taught mainly in FCP and DVDSP with some good knowledge of programs like After Effects, Photoshop etc.

I love video but can't afford to go back to university and get a degree with a wife and 2 children to support.
FCP and Avid are now quite cheap and people are easily catching up to my skill set by doing courses like the Apple Certified FCP course. Everybody is now calling themselves a professional and I just can't seem to find work in this industry.

I am going to have to bite the bullet and go back into some sort of film school but wanted to know your thoughts on where you thought the industry is going. I have spoken to a few contacts and a lot are saying that within the next 3-4 years Broadcast TV jobs will come few and far between as the online video channels will boom.

Kids today don't want to spend years in school learning the basics when they can just google. Then when they have the solution to a problem, they proclaim to be professional. Beware!

See if you can find local chapters of some professional organizations (related to what you do). Go to their meetings, volunteer to help with the chapters, make contacts and let it be known that you have several years professional experience.

- Ken